Drive-section-isolated FOUP opener

ABSTRACT

A drive-section-isolated FOUP opener opens and closes a door of a FOUP which contains a plurality of semiconductor wafers. The FOUP opener includes a dock plate for carrying and positioning the FOUP; a dock moving mechanism for moving the dock plate to a position for detachment/attachment of the FOUP door; a port door including a mechanism for releasably holding the FOUP door; a port plate including an opening closed by the port door; a port door horizontal-movement mechanism for horizontally moving the port door; a sensor horizontal-movement mechanism for horizontally moving a sensor bracket, the sensor bracket carrying a mapping sensor; and a port-door-and-sensor vertical-movement mechanism for vertically moving the port door and the sensor bracket with the port door holding the FOUP door. A drive for the port door horizontal-movement mechanism, a drive for the sensor horizontal-movement mechanism, and a drive for the port-door-and-sensor vertical-movement mechanism are disposed opposite a clean room with respect to the port plate.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a container opener for opening/closinga sealable container for containing and transferring a plurality ofsemiconductor wafers oriented horizontally and vertically arranged atpredetermined intervals. More particularly, the invention relates to afront opening unified pod (FOUP) opener having a structure such that adrive section for a port door including a detachment/attachmentmechanism for detaching/attaching a FOUP door and a holder mechanism forholding the FOUP door, and a drive section for a sensor mechanism fordetecting presence/absence, storage condition, and position of waferscontained in the FOUP are arranged in an improved manner.

2. Description of the Related Art

A FOUP opener is adapted to establish communication between a space (afirst control space) within a FOUP and a wafer transfer space (a secondcontrol space) and to enable transfer of wafers from the first controlspace to the second control space without exposure to the ambientatmosphere, by means of, for example, a robot. When the wafers arehighly-precise wafers having a diameter of 300 mm or more, since suchwafers are very expensive, the FOUP opener must satisfy a strictrequirement for protection against wafer contamination with dust,specifically, dust particles generated by the FOUP opener itself must bereduced to one particle/b cft or less (0.1 μm particles), and themapping report error rate must be decreased to once/0.1-1 million wafersor less. In order to detect presence/absence, storage condition, orposition of wafers contained in the FOUP before transfer of the wafers,mapping means is provided on either the FOUP opener or a robot.Generally, provision of the mapping means is optional for the FOUPopener and the robot.

FIG. 5 shows a conventional FOUP opener. As shown in FIG. 5, operationof a FOUP opener 01 for detaching a FOUP door 013 from and attaching theFOUP door 013 to/from an opening of a FOUP 010 and for moving the FOUPdoor 013 vertically is performed within a second control space 200 thatmaintains a clean room atmosphere. Accordingly, a drive section of ahorizontal-movement mechanism 040 for moving a port door 023 and asensor 070 horizontally and a drive section of a vertical-movementmechanism 050 for moving the port door 023 and the sensor 070 verticallyare disposed within the second control space 200. The port door 023includes a detachment/attachment mechanism for detaching/attaching theFOUP door 013 and a holder mechanism for holding the FOUP door 013 (seeJapanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. 11-145244). Referencenumeral 014 denotes a semiconductor wafer, reference numeral 021 denotesa port plate, and reference numeral 300 denotes the ambient atmosphere.

Thus, there has been the problem that the drives, which are dustgenerators, contaminate the second control space 200, which mustmaintain a clean atmosphere. For example, when a movable member isactuated by a motor or cylinder of a drive section, friction causesgeneration of dust, which is scattered within a clean room (the secondcontrol space 200). Also, an organic substance generated throughvaporization of a lubricant applied to a movable member may be scatteredwithin the clean room 200. As a result, the clean room 200 fails tomaintain a high level of cleanliness. Furthermore, when the drivesections are to be serviced for maintenance, inspection, or repairs,within the clean room 200, a worker must move or remove equipment inorder to establish work space within the clean room 200, resulting inscattering of dust within the clean room 200. Thus, restoration ofcleanliness within the clean room 200 to a regular, high level consumesa considerably great amount of time and cost. In order to enable aworker to work within the clean room 200, equipment for removing dustfrom the worker must be installed, thus incurring further cost.

In order to cope with the above problem, a FOUP opener as shown in FIG.6 has been proposed (see Japanese kohyo (PCT) Patent Published(re-published) No. W099/28965). As shown in FIG. 6, a port door isdisposed outside a clean room (a second control space 200) foropening/closing and vertical movement of a FOUP door outside the cleanroom 200. However, since a port door 023 is located between a FOUP 010and a port plate 021, a gap g is formed therebetween. The gap g createsthe possibility of entry of dust into the FOUP 010 (first control space100) and into the clean room 200 from outside the clean room 200 (fromthe ambient atmosphere 300), possible adhesion of the dust to the insidesurface of FOUP door 013 and to the outside surface of the port door023, and possible outflow of a large amount of highly clean air to theexterior of the clean room 200.

In the case of the FOUP opener 01 of the patent publication, as the gapg between the FOUP 010 and the port plate 021 becomes larger, thepositioning accuracy of the FOUP 010 is reduced due to machining errors,assembly errors, and wear of dock plate 031 for carrying and positioningthe FOUP 010 and components of a dock moving mechanism 030. Thus, thepresence/absence, storage condition, and position of wafers 014contained in the FOUP 010 cannot be detected with high accuracy, thuscreating possible problems in transfer of the wafers 014.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentionedproblems in the conventional FOUP openers and to provide a FOUP openerwhich does not cause contamination of a clean room (a second controlspace) by contaminants generated by drives of horizontal- andvertical-movement mechanisms for a port door and a sensor; which doesnot allow entry of dust into a FOUP (first control space) or into theclean room from the ambient atmosphere.

Another object is to prevent adhesion of dust to the inside surface of aFOUP door and to the outside surface of the port door.

Yet another object is to prevent outflow of a large amount of highlyclean air to the exterior of the clean room.

Still another object is to reduce the gap between the FOUP and a portplate, to thereby avoid impairment of accuracy in positioning of theFOUP due to machining errors, assembly errors, and wear of a dock plateand components of a dock moving mechanism, so that a mapping sensor canmaintain high detection accuracy to avoid possible problems in transferof the wafers.

To achieve the above objects, the present invention provides adrive-section-isolated FOUP opener for opening and closing a FOUP doorwhich closes a front opening portion of a FOUP containing a plurality ofsemiconductor wafers oriented horizontally and vertically arranged atpredetermined intervals. The FOUP opener comprises a dock plate forcarrying and positioning the FOUP; a dock moving mechanism for movingthe dock plate to a position for detachment and attachment of the FOUPdoor; a port door including a detachment/attachment mechanism fordetaching and attaching the FOUP door and a holder mechanism for holdingthe FOUP door; a port plate including an opening, the opening beingclosed by the port door; a port door horizontal-movement mechanism forhorizontally moving the port door; a sensor horizontal-movementmechanism for horizontally moving a sensor bracket, the sensor brackethaving a mapping sensor mounted on an upper portion thereof and adaptedto detect presence/absence, storage condition, and position of waferscontained in the FOUP; and a port-door-and-sensor vertical-movementmechanism for vertically moving the port door and the sensor bracketwith the port door holding the FOUP door. A drive section of the portdoor horizontal-movement mechanism, a drive section of the sensorhorizontal-movement mechanism, and a drive section of theport-door-and-sensor vertical-movement mechanism are disposed on theopposite side of the port plate relative to a clean room, with the cleanroom housing the port door and the sensor bracket.

Thus, in the drive-section-isolated FOUP opener of the presentinvention, the drive section of the port door horizontal-movementmechanism, the drive section of the sensor horizontal-movementmechanism, and the drive section of the port-door-and-sensorvertical-movement mechanism are disposed outside the clean room (thesecond control space), which houses the port door and the sensorbracket, i.e., on the side of the port plate opposite the clean room andthereby isolated from the clean room.

As a result, the port plate prevents dust generated by the drivesections from entry into the clean room. For example, when a movablemember actuated by a motor or cylinder of a drive section generates dustthrough friction, the dust is not scattered into the clean room. Also,an organic substance generated through vaporization of a lubricantapplied to a movable member does not enter the clean room. Furthermore,when the drive sections are to be serviced for maintenance, inspection,or repairs, a worker does not need to enter the clean room; i.e., theworker does not need to move or remove equipment in order to establishwork space within the clean room, thereby avoiding contamination of theclean room with dust associated with such work. Therefore, the cleanroom can maintain a high level of cleanliness.

Since a worker does not need to enter the clean room when the drivesections are to be serviced for maintenance, inspection, or repairs,there is no need to install equipment for removing dust from the workerwho is to enter the clean room for performing service work, therebylowering equipment expenses.

Since the port door is disposed within the clean room, the gap betweenthe FOUP and the port plate can be zero or very small. Because the gaptherebetween is very small, entry of dust into the FOUP (first controlspace) and into the clean room from ambient atmosphere is avoided, alongwith avoidance of adhesion of the dust to the inside surface of the FOUPdoor and the outside surface of the port door as well as outflow of alarge amount of highly clean air from the clean room. Thus, the cleanroom can more reliably maintain a high level of cleanliness.

Furthermore, since the gap between the FOUP and the port plate is small,inaccuracy in positioning of the FOUP due to machining errors, assemblyerrors, and wear of the dock plate and components of the dock movingmechanism can be avoided. Thus, the mapping sensor can maintain highdetection accuracy, so that wafers can be transferred with highreliability.

Preferably, the port plate has a vertically extending guide slit locatedunderneath its opening, and the drive section of the port doorhorizontal-movement mechanism, the drive section of the sensorhorizontal-movement mechanism, and the drive section of theport-door-and-sensor vertical-movement mechanism move the port door andthe sensor bracket horizontally or vertically, via the guide slit.

Thus, entry of dust into the clean room through the guide slit fromoutside the clean room and outflow of a large amount of highly clean airto the exterior of the clean room through the guide slit can besuppressed to the greatest possible extent, thereby contributing to themaintenance of a high level of cleanliness in the clean room. While armsof the port door and sensor bracket move along the guide slit, therebypossibly generating dust, the dust can be ejected to the exterior of theclean room from the guide slit through employment of a clean roompressure (a positive clean room pressure) higher than pressure outsidethe clean room. Thus, this feature also contributes to the maintenanceof a high level of cleanliness in the clean room.

Preferably, the guide slit is used in common for moving the port doorand the sensor bracket. Thus, the number of guide slits can be minimizedto thereby enhance the aforementioned effects.

Preferably, the drive-section-isolated FOUP opener of the presentinvention further comprises a drive section chamber for housing thedrive section of the port door horizontal-movement mechanism, the drivesection of the sensor horizontal-movement mechanism, and the drivesection of the port-door-and-sensor vertical-movement mechanism. Thedrive section chamber includes a device for exhausting atmosphere fromthe drive section chamber to the exterior. Thus, entry of dust generatedin the drive sections into the clean room through the guide slit can becompletely prevented, thereby more reliably maintaining the clean roomat a high level of cleanliness.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a drive-section-isolated FOUPopener according to an embodiment of the present invention with the FOUPdoor closed;

FIG. 2 is a schematic rear view of the FOUP opener of FIG. 1 as viewedwith a drive section chamber wall removed;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III—III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic partial perspective view of the FOUP opener ofFIG. 1 as viewed from the port door side;

FIG. 5 is a view of a conventional FOUP opener; and

FIG. 6 is a view of another conventional FOUP opener.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

An embodiment of the present invention will next be described in detailwith reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, a drive-section-isolated FOUP opener 1 of thepresent embodiment includes a FOUP 10 containing a plurality ofsemiconductor wafers 14 oriented horizontally and vertically arranged atpredetermined intervals; a dock plate 31 for carrying and positioningthe FOUP 10; a dock moving mechanism 30 for moving the dock plate 31 toa position for detachment/attachment of a FOUP door 13; a port door 23including a detachment/attachment mechanism (not shown) fordetaching/attaching the FOUP door 13 and a holder mechanism (not shown)for holding the FOUP door 13; a port plate 21 including an opening 22,the opening 22 being closed by the port door 23; a port doorhorizontal-movement mechanism 40 for horizontally moving the port door23; a sensor horizontal-movement mechanism 60 for horizontally moving asensor bracket 62, the sensor bracket 62 having a mapping sensor 70mounted on an upper portion thereof, the mapping sensor 70 beingoperative to detect presence/absence, storage condition, and position ofthe wafers 14 contained in the FOUP 10; and a port-door-and-sensorvertical-movement mechanism 50 for vertically moving the port door 23and the sensor bracket 62 with the port door 23 holding the FOUP door13, so as to house the FOUP door 13 in a front end (a second controlspace 200).

The FOUP 10 assumes the form of a sealed container when a front opening12 of a FOUP frame 11, serving as the body of the FOUP 10, is closed bythe FOUP door 13. The port plate 21 and the port door 23 form part of awall interfacing the front end with the FOUP 10 and serve to isolate thesecond control space 200, which serves as a clean room and a wafertransfer space, from the ambient atmosphere 300. As shown in FIG. 4, thesensor bracket 62 has the form of a rectangular frame and surrounds theport door 23. A lower extension member 42 extends downward from the portdoor 23.

The port door horizontal-movement mechanism 40 includes an arm member 44which extends perpendicular from the lower end portion of the lowerextension member 42. The arm member 44 is slidably mounted in a linearguide 41 on the upper surface of a vertical-movement platform 51 of theport-door-and-sensor vertical-movement mechanism 50, which will bedescribed later. An end of the arm member 44 is connected to an outputshaft of a port door horizontal-movement mechanism drive motor 43, whichmoves the arm member 44 horizontally (right-and-left in FIG. 1). The armmember 44 extends through a guide slit 52 formed in the port plate 21and extending downward from underneath an opening 22 in the port plate21. The arm member 44 moves horizontally and vertically along the guideslit 52.

The sensor horizontal-movement mechanism 60 includes an arm member 64which is perpendicularly attached to a lower end portion of the sensorbracket 62 and which is slidably mounted in a linear guide 61 on thelower surface of the vertical-movement platform 51 of theport-door-and-sensor vertical-movement mechanism 50, which will bedescribed later. An end of the arm member 64 is connected to an outputshaft of a sensor horizontal-movement mechanism drive motor 63, whichmoves the arm member 64 horizontally. As in the case of the arm member44, the arm member 64 extends through the guide slit 52, underneath thearm member 44, and moves horizontally and vertically along the guideslit 52.

As shown in FIG. 2, the right-hand and left-hand vertical-movementplatforms 51, arm members 44, and arm members 64 are located adjacentthe right-hand and left-hand side edges of the port plate 21. Theright-hand and left-hand vertical-movement platforms 51 are connectedunitarily by means of a connection member 55 extending horizontally inFIG. 2. The connection member 55 has a nut accommodating portion 56which houses a ball nut engaged with a screw shaft 54. As the screwshaft 54 is rotated by a servomotor 53, the nut accommodating portion 56is caused to move vertically; i.e., the connection member 55 integralwith the nut accommodating portion 56 moves vertically. The verticalmovement of the connection member 55 causes the port door 23 and thesensor bracket 62 to move vertically as a unit via the pairedvertical-movement platforms 51, arm members 44, and arm members 64.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the connection member 55 moves verticallyalong the outside surface of the port plate 21 while being guided by aguide mechanism including guide grooves 58 which are formed in thecorresponding right-hand and left-hand vertical-movement platforms 51,which in turn are connected unitarily by means of the connection member55, and which receive corresponding guide rails 57. Guide rails 57 arefixed on the outside surface of the port plate 21 adjacent theright-hand and left-hand side edges of the port plate 21 and extendvertically.

The port door horizontal-movement mechanism drive motor 43 is fixed onthe upper surface of the right-hand vertical-movement platform 51 ofFIG. 2, whereas the sensor horizontal-movement mechanism drive motor 63is fixed on the lower surface of the left-hand vertical-movementplatform 51 of FIG. 2. Thus, through installation of the port doorhorizontal-movement drive motor 43 and the sensor horizontal-movementdrive motor 63 horizontally in opposition to each other, weight balanceis established horizontally for a unitary assembly composed of theconnection member 55, paired right- and left-hand vertical-movementplatforms 51, and the motors 43 and 63. However, the motors 43 and 63may be fixed on the upper and lower surfaces, respectively, of theright-hand or left-hand vertical-movement platform 51.

The servomotor 53, the screw shaft 54, the connection member 55including the nut accommodating portion 56, and the pairedvertical-movement platforms 51 constitute the port-door-and-sensorvertical-movement mechanism 50. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, theport-door-and-sensor vertical-movement mechanism 50 is on the side ofthe port plate 21 opposite the clean room (the second control space200), which houses the port door 23 and the sensor bracket 62, and ishoused in a drive section chamber 80.

Since the port-door horizontal-movement mechanism drive motor 43 and thesensor horizontal-movement mechanism drive motor 63 are fixed on theright- and left-hand vertical-movement platforms 51, respectively, themotors 43 and 63 are also housed in the drive section chamber 80. Also,the drive section chamber 80 houses portions of the arm members 44 ofthe port door horizontal-movement mechanism 40 which slide along thelinear guide 41 and portions of the arm members 64 of the sensorhorizontal-movement mechanism 60 which slide along the linear guide 61.

Accordingly, the drive section (which is composed of the port doorhorizontal-movement mechanism drive motor 43 and the linear guide 41) ofthe port door horizontal-movement mechanism 40, the drive section (whichis composed of the sensor horizontal-movement mechanism drive motor 63and the linear guide 61) of the sensor horizontal-movement mechanism 60,and the drive section (which is composed of the servomotor 53, the screwshaft 54, the connection member 55 including the nut accommodatingportion 56, and the paired right-and left-hand vertical-movementplatforms 51) of the port-door-and-sensor vertical-movement mechanism 50are disposed opposite to the clean room 200-which houses the port door23 and the sensor bracket 62-with respect to the port plate 21 and arethereby isolated from the clean room 200, while housed in the drivesection chamber 80.

The drive section chamber 80 is equipped with a fan 81 for exhaustingthe atmosphere of the drive section chamber 80 to the exterior. Thus,the fan 81 exhausts dust generated from the drive section of the portdoor horizontal-movement mechanism 40, the drive section of the sensorhorizontal-movement mechanism 60, and the drive section of theport-door-and-sensor vertical-movement mechanism 50, to the ambientatmosphere 300, thereby preventing contamination of the clean room 200by the dust. Preferably, the fan 81 is installed on a wall of the drivesection chamber 80 at the lowest possible position.

Next, the operation of the drive-section-isolated FOUP opener 1 of thepresent embodiment will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 1, the FOUP door 13 is about to be detached from theFOUP frame 11, and the port door 23 and the mapping sensor 70 are onstandby. First, when the port door 23 vacuum-chucks and holds the FOUPdoor 13, the port door horizontal-movement mechanism 40 operates so asto retract the port door 23 horizontally. Then, the port-door-and-sensorvertical-movement mechanism 50 operates so as to lower the sensorbracket 62, together with the port door 23, to a position where themapping sensor 70 is to enter the FOUP 10, thereby positioning themapping sensor 70.

Next, the sensor horizontal-movement mechanism 60 operates so as tocause the mapping sensor 70 to enter the FOUP 10 independently of theport door 23. Subsequently, the port-door-and-sensor vertical-movementmechanism 50 operates so as to lower the mapping sensor 70, togetherwith the port door 23, to the bottom wafer position. During the loweringmovement, the mapping sensor 70 detects presence/absence, condition(inclined insertion, multiple insertion and other items), and position(height) of the wafers 14 contained in the FOUP 10. The results ofdetection are transmitted one-by-one to an unillustrated wafer transferrobot.

When the mapping sensor 70 lowers to the bottom wafer position, thesensor horizontal-movement mechanism 60 operates so as to retract themapping sensor 70 from inside the FOUP 10 independently of the port door23. Finally, the port-door-and-sensor vertical-movement mechanism 50operates so as to lower and retract the port door 23 and the mappingsensor 70 in unison, thereby holding the FOUP door 13 in the front end(within the second control space 200).

The present embodiment, configured and functioning as described above,yields the following effects.

In the drive-section-isolated FOUP opener 1, the drive section of theport door horizontal-movement mechanism 40, the drive section of thesensor horizontal-movement mechanism 60, and the drive section of theport-door-and-sensor vertical-movement mechanism 50 are disposedopposite the clean room with respect to the port plate 21 and arethereby isolated from the clean room 200. Thus, the port plate 21prevents entry into the clean room 200 of dust generated by the drivesections. For example, when a movable member actuated by a motor (theport door horizontal-movement mechanism drive motor 43, the sensorhorizontal-movement mechanism drive motor 63, or the portdoor-and-sensor vertical-movement drive servomotor 53) of a drivesection generates dust through friction, the dust is not scattered intothe clean room 200. Also, an organic substance generated throughvaporization of a lubricant applied to a movable member is not scatteredinto the clean room 200. Furthermore, when the drive sections are to beserviced for maintenance, inspection, or repairs, a worker does not needto enter the clean room 200; i.e., the worker does not need to move orremove equipment in order to establish work space within the clean room200, thereby avoiding contamination of the clean room 200 with dustassociated with such work. Therefore, the clean room 200 can maintain ahigh level of cleanliness.

Also, since the port door 23 is disposed within the clean room 200, thedistance between the FOUP 10 and the port plate 21 can be zero or short;thus, the gap therebetween is very small, thereby avoiding entry of dustinto the FOUP 10 (the first control space 100) and into the clean room200 from outside the clean room 200 (the ambient atmosphere 300), andadhesion of dust to the inside surface of the FOUP door 13 and theoutside surface of the port door 23, as well as preventing outflow of alarge amount of highly clean air from the clean room 200. Thus, theclean room 200 can maintain a high level of cleanliness in a morereliable condition.

Furthermore, the port plate 21 has the guide slit 52 located underneaththe opening 22, and the drive section of the port doorhorizontal-movement mechanism 40, the drive section of the sensorhorizontal-movement mechanism 60, and the drive section of theport-door-and-sensor vertical-movement mechanism 50 move the port door23 and the sensor bracket 62 horizontally or vertically, via the guideslit 52. Thus, entry of dust into the clean room 200 through the guideslit 52 from outside the clean room 200 and outflow of a large amount ofhighly clean air from the clean room 200 through the guide slit 52 canbe suppressed to the greatest possible extent, thereby contributing tothe maintenance of a high level of cleanliness in the clean room 200.

The arms 44 and 64 respectively connected to the port door 23 and sensorbracket 62 move along the guide slit 52 horizontally and vertically,thereby creating the possibility of generation of dust. However, thedust can be ejected to the exterior of the clean room 200 from the guideslit 52 through employment of a clean room pressure (a positive cleanroom pressure) higher than a pressure outside the clean room 200. Thus,this feature also contributes to the maintenance of a high level ofcleanliness in the clean room 200.

Furthermore, since the right- and left-hand guide slits 52 are providedand used in common for moving the port door 23 and the sensor bracket62, the number of guide slits 52 can be minimized to thereby enhance theaforementioned effects. Also, the drive section chamber 80 includes thefan 81 for exhausting atmosphere from the drive section chamber 80 tothe exterior. Thus, entry of dust, generated by the drive sections, intothe clean room 200 through the guide slits 52 can be completelyprevented, thereby reliably maintaining the clean room 200 at a highlevel of cleanliness.

Also, since the gap between the FOUP 10 and the port plate 21 is verysmall, impairment of accuracy in positioning of the FOUP 10 due tomachining errors, assembly errors, and wear of the dock plate 31 andcomponents of the dock moving mechanism 30 can be avoided. Thus, themapping sensor 70 can maintain high detection accuracy, so that thewafers 14 can be transferred with high reliability.

Furthermore, since a worker does not need to enter the clean room 200when the drive sections are to be serviced for maintenance, inspection,or repairs, there is no need to install equipment for removing dust fromthe worker who is to enter the clean room 200 for performing servicework, thereby lowering equipment cost.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment,but may be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit orscope of the invention. For example, the connection member 55 and thepaired right- and left-hand vertical-movement platforms 51 may beconnected in such a manner that the right- and left-handvertical-movement platforms 51 are disposed on the upper or lowersurface of the connection member 55 at right- and lefthand end portionsthereof, while the guide groove 58 is formed in each of right- andleft-hand end portions of the connection member 55 and the right- andleft-hand vertical-movement platforms 51. In this case, the verticalmovement of the port-door-and-sensor vertical-movement mechanism 50 canbe guided in a more reliable manner. Also, the individual drive sectionsmay employ a power cylinder in place of the motor 43, 53, or 63, as anactuator.

What is claimed is:
 1. A drive-section-isolated FOUP opener for openingand closing a FOUP door which closes a front opening of a FOUPcontaining a plurality of semiconductor wafers oriented horizontally andvertically arranged at predetermined intervals, said FOUP openercomprising: a dock plate for carrying and positioning a FOUP; a dockmoving mechanism for moving said dock plate to a position for detachmentand attachment of the FOUP door; a port door including adetachment/attachment mechanism for detaching and attaching the FOUPdoor and a holder mechanism for holding the FOUP door; a port platehaving an opening, the opening of said port plate being closed by saidport door, said port plate having a clean room side and a FOUP side; aport door horizontal-movement mechanism for horizontally and linearlymoving said port door; a sensor horizontal-movement mechanism, mountedoutside and spaced from said port door, for horizontally and linearlymoving a sensor bracket, independently of said port door, between ahorizontally extended position within the FOUP and a horizontallyretracted position withdrawn from the FOUP, said sensor bracket having amapping sensor mounted on an upper portion of said sensor bracket andadapted to detect presence/absence, storage condition, and position ofwafers contained in the FOUP; a port-door-and-sensor vertical-movementmechanism for vertically moving said port door and said sensor bracketwith said port door holding the FOUP door; and a drive for said portdoor horizontal-movement mechanism, a drive for said sensorhorizontal-movement mechanism, and a drive for said port-door-and-sensorvertical-movement mechanism being disposed on the FOUP side of said portplate and thereby isolating said drives from the clean room.
 2. Adrive-section-isolated FOUP opener according to claim 1, wherein saidport plate has a vertically elongated guide slit located underneath theopening; and wherein the drive for said port door horizontal-movementmechanism, the drive for said sensor horizontal-movement mechanism, andthe drive for said port-door-and-sensor vertical-movement mechanism movesaid port door and said sensor bracket horizontally and vertically, viasaid guide slit.
 3. A drive-section-isolated FOUP opener according toclaim 2, wherein said guide slit is used in common for moving said portdoor and said sensor bracket.
 4. A drive-section-isolated FOUP openeraccording to claim 1, further comprising a drive section chamber housingthe drive for said port door horizontal-movement mechanism, the drivefor said sensor horizontal-movement mechanism, and the drive for saidport-door-and-sensor vertical-movement mechanism, and said drive sectionchamber including a device for exhausting atmosphere from said drivesection chamber to an exterior area.
 5. A drive-section-isolated FOUPopener according to claim 2, further comprising a drive section chamberhousing the drive for said port door horizontal-movement mechanism, thedrive for said sensor horizontal-movement mechanism, and the drive forsaid port-door-and-sensor vertical-movement mechanism, and said drivesection chamber including a device for exhausting atmosphere from saiddrive section chamber to an exterior area.
 6. A drive-section-isolatedFOUP opener according to claim 3, further comprising a drive sectionchamber housing the drive for said port door horizontal-movementmechanism, the drive for said sensor horizontal-movement mechanism, andthe drive for said port-door-and-sensor vertical-movement mechanism, andsaid drive section chamber including a device for exhausting atmospherefrom said drive section chamber to an exterior area.
 7. Adrive-section-isolated FOUP opener according to claim 1, wherein saidport door horizontal-movement mechanism moves said port doorhorizontally and linearly between a closed position within said openingof said port plate and an open position spaced from said port plate onthe clean room side.
 8. A drive-section-isolated FOUP opener accordingto claim 7, wherein said port door horizontal-movement mechanism movessaid port door horizontally and linearly independently of said sensorbracket.
 9. A drive-section-isolated FOUP opener according to claim 1,wherein said port door horizontal-movement mechanism moves said portdoor horizontally and linearly independently of said sensor bracket. 10.A drive-section-isolated FOUP opener according to claim 2, wherein saidport door horizontal-movement mechanism moves said port doorhorizontally and linearly between a closed position within said openingof said port plate and an open position spaced from said port plate onthe clean room side.
 11. A drive-section-isolated FOUP opener accordingto claim 10, wherein said port door horizontal-movement mechanism movessaid port door horizontally and linearly independently of said sensorbracket.
 12. A drive-section-isolated FOUP opener according to claim 2,wherein said port door horizontal-movement mechanism moves said portdoor horizontally and linearly independently of said sensor bracket. 13.A drive-section-isolated FOUP opener according to claim 1 wherein, insaid horizontally retracted position, said mapping sensor and saidsensor bracket are located on the clean room side of said port plate andspaced from said port plate.